Food · Upper East Side
Bocado Cafe: Penne alla Vodka and a Caesar at the Bar of a Carnegie Hill Bistro Known for Its Burgers
A rustic-chic bistro and wine bar at Lexington and 87th in Carnegie Hill. The burgers are the draw, but at the lunch rush they take 15–20 minutes, so we sat at the bar for penne alla vodka and a Caesar, Parmesan grated at the counter.
By NBT Editors · 2026-10-19
Area
Type
Bocado Cafe sits on the corner of Lexington Avenue and 87th Street on the Upper East Side, a rustic-chic bistro and wine bar that opens at 8:30 every morning and runs through dinner. It is a short walk from the 86th Street stations on the 4/5/6 and Q lines and a few blocks from the Guggenheim and Museum Mile, in the quiet residential stretch known as Carnegie Hill. The cooking is American bistro food with an Italian lean.
The burgers are what people come for. The signature Bocado Burger stacks avocado, applewood-smoked bacon, onions, fontina and arugula with lemon aioli, and the list also runs to crab cake, lamb, turkey and veggie burgers. At lunch, though, the room was packed and we were told a burger would take 15 to 20 minutes. Short on time, we switched to pasta.
We ordered the penne alla vodka and added grilled chicken (+$9). The tomato cream sauce clings to every tube, and the Parmesan is grated over it right in front of you: a rotary grater sends down a snowfall of cheese until it piles up on top. Sit at the bar and you get the finishing touch head-on. It was generous with the cheese and delicious with the mellow sauce; honestly, the pasta is satisfying enough without the chicken.
The Caesar salad is the classic build of romaine, Parmesan, croutons and Caesar dressing, generously cheesed. Slices of sourdough, brushed with olive oil and toasted, arrive with a cup of butter.
The rest of the menu is broad: grilled salmon over Russian red kale and quinoa, a chicken flatbread, a turkey club with bacon and avocado, a mango and avocado salad with goat cheese, a cheese-loaded chicken quesadilla and seafood pasta with mussels and calamari, enough to work for a full meal or something to go with a glass of wine, from morning to night.
On the menu, the penne alla vodka is listed at $26–$29, the Caesar at $21–$24 and the Bocado Burger at $28–$31 (the same dish is priced differently on different menus). Wines by the glass start around $13. Weekend brunch includes a mimosa, bellini, fresh orange juice or coffee. Reservations are through SevenRooms on the restaurant's site, and takeout can be ordered online. If you're going for the burger, skip the lunch rush or give yourself time.
Hours
